Rewriting
by Fukuro-Mind
Summary: What if Kirie, Sae, and Reika had lived in our time? How will their stories be? AU fanstory. T rated for obvious reasons.
1. Memories

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_A/N: Hello everyone. Here is another stupid fanfic coming from me. This time its serious (oh my). This idea has been floating around in my head for a while so I need to get it out somehow....so enjoy._

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_"Father, why is mother still sleeping?" _

_"She's very tired, Kirie." _

_"Why are people crying? She'll wake up soon, right?" _

_"........."_

-----September 12, 1979------

Looking out the window, Kirie Himuro sighed as she looked at the sight of the newly bloomed cherry trees. She had thought of leaving her home many times to see the world outside her own small world. Outside this small room she is forced to be in day after day. Away from her father's face not looking over her time from time. However....

She never even tried to leave the house even once, not even her own room.

She questioned her father every time he comes up to talk to her about why she wasn't allowed to leave. The answer was always:

"You are too young, Kirie. Wait until you're older."

(Too young? You always answer with that answer. I don't want to hear that shit anymore. Give me the real reason, father)

Kirie looked away. "Too young? Father, I am nearly 17. Is that really too young?" She sat on her bed.

He stared at her with a hint of anger. "Yes Kirie." he replied sternly. "I believe you are too young to leave this house. You do not have the knowledge of surviving in the outside world. It is best that you stay with me until you do."

(That is bullshit right there. Plain Bullshit. How do you expect me to learn how to live in the outside world? I have never even been outside this damned house for 10 **FUCKING** years.)

Kirie closed her eyes, holding back tears from falling. "I understand, father."

Kirie's father nodded and soon left the room. After hearing her father's footsteps slowly going away, she laid her head on her pillow and sobbed. As tears came out of her eyes, she looked at a photo. It was a photo of three people: Her father, still looking normal before that incident. Her mother, before she "went to sleep". A little girl, who grew up to be the now lonely young woman named Kirie. A sob escaped from her lips once again as she thought of the times back when her mother was alive and healthy, her father still a sane and loving husband and father and when she, herself, was a happy active girl. Now, everything is the opposite: her mother is not around anymore, preferably still "sleeping", her father became cold and distant from Kirie and may have even lost a bit of his mind, and Kirie.......

She is now just a sad little girl demanding to see the world how it truly is...

---------------------------------------  
_"Father, may I go outside?"_

_"No Kirie." _

_"But why?" _

_"It is not safe outside. Would you want to become like your mother?"_

_A little girl soon broke down crying while the father just stood there.  
_

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A/N: I always rush the first chapter. Why? Bear with me people. I have to change some stuff around to make it like how it is......how is it so far?  
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	2. Promise?

**_a/n: I think I put too much effort on Sae..._**

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_**_"Yae! Wait for me!!" _

_She kept running away. _

_"Yae!! Don't leave me!!! You promised!!" _

_People then came for the girl who fell out of the tree.  
_

-------------October 5, 1983--------------------

Her knee started hurting again. A groan escaped from Sae's lips as she rubbed her knee. She sat on the swing, feeling the wind blow through her hair. Soon the pain went away and Sae was relieved and begin to play on the swings.

"Remember when we used to play here?" Sae quietly whispered to herself. "It was so much fun.....and then we stopped coming here..."

Swing after swing, Sae felt at peace of herself, in her own little world. She smiled and closed her eyes....

(DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!!!)

Sae frowned upon hearing the voice. Each time she tried to rid of her memories, she hears the voice saying the same thing over and over again....

(PLEASE, DON'T EVER LEAVE ME!! YOU PROMISED!!!)

Sae then stopped swinging and held her head. What did the voice mean? Was something going to happen?

"Sae!"

Sae looked up. "Yae?"

Yae ran up to her with a concerned face, carrying her school bag. Sae looked away.

"Sae?" Yae touched her cheek. "Sae, are you alright?"

"Yes, don't worry so much..."

"Was your knee hurting again?"

"It was."

"......."

Yae let out a sigh and sat on the swing next to Sae's. It had been so long Sae and Yae played in the park ever since that incident. It was here Sae got her pernament injury. Sae and Yae were playing in the trees one day when they were young. Yae soon got off and ran off somewhere. Sae, wanting to come with Yae, tried to get off the tree but instead.....

"Hey Yae?"

Yae looked over her sister's face. "Sae? Is something the matter?"

Sae's face showed a hidden sorrow as the girl was remembering her memories when Yae...left from her for the first time...

Yae held Sae's hand. "Sae? Please tell me what's wrong."

Sae looked at Yae's worried face. "Yae....." She held tightly to her sister's hand. "Promise me you wouldn't leave me like what happened before...."

"Of course, I-"

Sae squeezed Yae's hand even harder. "Please! You promise to never leave me?"

Yae winced. "....yes...I promise Sae."

This made Sae smile. "Good...I don't know what will happened....if you ever left my life..."

Yae looked at her and got up. "Sae, it's getting dark. Father expected to be home from school hours ago...." She was stilling holding Sae's hand. "Let's go."

The two sisters then began to walk home, still hand in hand. Sae didn't really mind this. She liked being with Yae. She felt really happy with her...like almost complete... If Yae had disappeared....what would happen?

---

_You promised never to leave me again right? Well then_, _explain my madness then. Because of you, _red _rain is falling and everything is cover in it, including myself. Everyone stopped moving. Everyone except for _me_. Me. I am special. All I get to do is stand around and laugh as the rain kept falling while holding the _holy_ object in my hand, covered in the holy _red_ rain. All because you simply just left...._

Sae woke up from her nightmare, covered in sweat. She looked at her..

(stained in holy red rain)

..hands and thought. What was that dream she had? Why was everyone..

(..EVERYONE CAN GO TO HELL..)

..dead? Why was that girl...

(..the holy angel came and punished everyone, making red rain fall..)

..just standing there, covered in blood...?

Sae shook it off and looked besides her. Yae wasn't there.

"Yae..?"

_------------_

_"Sae, I'm so sorry....if I had stayed with you...."_

_"Yae....its ok....just one thing...."_

_"What?"_

_"Please don't ever leave me...."_

And yet she did.


	3. Aftermath of an accident

**_ a/n: Wow, this came fast. Enjoy._**

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_**"_Reika!! Please do not stand there!!! Please help your mother and father!!!!"_

_"............"_

_"REIKA!!!!"_

_ ------December 12, 1980------------__  
_

Peering outside, Reika Yukishiro stared at the now clear and peaceful sky in her hospital bed. It had been days ever since that disastrous storm that took away everything she had, including her parents. However, somehow, after the storm, only herself was found unconscious and was admitted to the local hospital. Despite her surprisingly unharmed physical condition, her mental condition decrease all the way to the bottom of the ocean. The doctors never noticed the _pain_ she keeps bottomed up.

No one ever notices her hidden pain....

No one even cares about how the _**fuck**_ she even feels and **j_ust_** assumed she is fine.

"The birds are chirping again..." Reika whispered to herself. "They always are....."

The door creaked open. "Reika?"

Reika looked towards the door and sat up. It was her doctor. Despite the concerned look he gave Reika, she knew the man didn't really care for her. She was just another patient.

"Hello, Dr. Katagiri...." She looked out the window, facing away from the man.

The doctor softly closed the door and walked towards Reika. He still had the concerned face. "How have you been feeling? Are you better?"

"How the _**fuck**_ you think I'm feeling?" she hissed. "I'm fine."

"........."

The doctor let out a sigh from his lips and looked at his clipboard. "It says here you are the only daughter of Nanase Yukishiro, age 43, and Iori Yukishiro, age 51. Am I right?"

Reika nodded.

"...it says here they are both deceased....is that correct?"

("_REIKA, PLEASE HELP YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER!!!"_)

She held back tears. "Y-Yes..."

He looked at her with a concerned look once again. "Do you have anyone to stay with at the time?"

".....I...

(_Who the hell would who take in a selfish bitch like me??_)

...don't have anyone at the moment...."

He looked at the clipboard again. "It says here that you have a family friend by the name of Yashuu Kuze..." He looked at her. "Do you think you can stay with her?"

Reika looked at her blanket and thought. She had never known Yashuu Kuze well but she knew who she was. From what she has seen of her, she was a stern old woman. She also had a daughter, Kyouka, who is at least 10 years older than Reika...yet she still kept her beauty. She remembered seeing two children as well, who were obviously Yashuu's grandchildren. However, she hadn't seen them since 10 years ago. From what she can remember, one was a newborn baby girl, who was named Aname and the other was a boy around the same age as Reika. She couldn't remember who his name was or what he had looked like....

She did remember, however, that the boy liked her and she liked-

"Reika? Did you hear me?"

Reika shook her head, coming out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

The doctor let out a sigh again. "Do you think you can stay with..." he looked again. "...Yashuu Kuze for now?"

She thought. "....I don't know...maybe...

(_"...you should've just died along with your mother and father..."_)

..I will...but..."

The doctor looked at her. "Hm? But what, Reika?"

"Who the hell would take in a selfish bitch like me?"

---------

_"Why couldn't I helped them?"_

Because you are selfish.

_"But they were my parents...."_

That doesn't matter. Selfish people don't help anyone....

"_....not even myself?" _


	4. First Meeting

_**A/N: **_**This was actually longer than I thought. My attempt of making a "very detail" chapter.  
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**_"Papa, when is mother coming back? It's been days since we left mother at that place."_

_"She is never coming back."_

_"What?" _

_"She is never coming back. Face it Kirie. Now go inside."_

_ ---------October 30, 1979---------------_

Where was her father? She didn't hear his voice or footsteps. He was normally here from day to night, forcing her to stay in her room unless he allows her to. She continued writing in her diary on her desk, listening to the calm wind blowing through the night sky, along with the tapping of her pencil.

As Kirie was writing in her diary, she then heard a man's voice shouting downstairs. Frightened, she dropped her pencil and went to her door. She placed an ear onto the door and listened: It wasn't her father.

(_"Should you hear a man who is anyone but your father, do not leave your room to look."_)

Curious as she always is, she disobeyed her father's orders and left her room before bring a gray jacket, seeing it as it was cold as always at this time of year. She went down the stairs, trying not to make a sound, afraid that the invader might hear her. She soon reached near the kitchen but hid near the door, hoping the man wouldn't see her. She peered into the kitchen and saw a man's back facing her, wiping his hand with a napkin. It was clearly covered in crimson.

She nearly gasped.

The man later soon walked away from the door to the sink. A relieved sigh came from Kirie's lips as she walk towards the door and peered in even a little closer. Unfortunately....

_Creak....._

The man looked back. "Hello, is someone there?"

Afraid of being found out, Kirie tried to run back to her room but instead she fell to the ground, giving out a loud yelp. _Tap Tap Tap._ Footsteps could be heard coming closer to Kirie. Aware of the man coming towards her, she tried to get up, ignoring the pain on her chest. She finally got up and grabbed ahold of the stair's railing when suddenly there was a grip on Kirie's arm. Kirie slowly turned her head and saw herself looking eye-to-eye with the man's dark eyes.

"Are you alright?"

Kirie's face soon felt very hot and red as a wild storm was happening inside her. Before she knew it, she fainted.

-

"Are you a friend of Master Himuro?"

".............."

Kirie found herself laying on the sofa with her gray jacket that she brought down earlier covering her body like a small blanket. She thought for a moment about what had happened before and gasped. She then tried to run away from the man standing near but fell down once again. The man, letting out a sigh, helped her up once again.

The man sighed again and looked at her. "I'm sorry but if you were trying to break into the house, I would have to turn you in."

Kirie was looking away.i

"Hey! Are you paying attention?" The man called out, slightly annoyed.

Kirie looked at him, clearly frightened. "I....I...I'm sorry if I had bothered with what you were doing..."

The man blinked. _She can't be the type of person to break into houses if she seems introverted...._

Kirie bowed her head and pulled her arm away from him. "I am sorry." She walked to the staircase.

"Hey wait!" The man shouted at Kirie.

She stopped and looked at him.

"No need to be so shy. I am assuming you are Master Himuro's wife, am I corrected?" He scratched his head. "You do seem very young though."

Kirie blushed.

-

A calm wind blew through the night sky, knocking the pink petals off of the branch. Kirie sat on the porch, looking at the trees as the cool wind blew right towards her, making her hair fly. The man next to her was cutting a small peach, being careful of not accidentally cutting himself again. Kirie blushed as she looked away from the man.

"How long have you been here?" Kirie asked, still looking away.

"About 2 weeks now." The man placed the knife down as he placed the peach slices onto the white plate. "Master Himuro took me in after my father died of illness until I am able to live alone." He held the plate of peaches to Kirie. "Would you like a slice?"

Kirie nodded and took a slice. "I am sorry to be a bother, but what is your name?" She bit into the slice.

The man place the plate onto the table. "I am sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I am Huyu Hinasaki." She raised a hand, motioning for a handshake. "May I ask for your name?"

Kirie looked at his hand for a while before giving him..

(_..the ticket to Hell..) _

_.._a handshake. "..I am Kirie."

(_Why just give him your name? Give him every _**fucking**_ about yourself._" )

Kirie frowned and pulled her hand away. Huyu noticed that she was shivering. He took off his black jacket and placed it on Kirie, making her blush a bit.

(_Would you want this man to get in trouble with your father?! Just__ leave already.)_

"Thank you..." She looked at the ground.

Huyu smiled before looking at the white pale moon. It was full tonight. Despite its seemingly eerie appearance, Huyu liked the sight of it, feeling comfort from it. This gave him a thought.

"You know....you remind me of the moon."

Kirie gave him a questioned look. "Hm? I do?"

Huyu nodded.

"How?"

"I'm not telling you." He smirked as a wind came again, slightly blowing Huyu's dark hair into a spiked appearance.

Kirie frowned as she continued to look at Huyu. What was this feeling inside of her? She felt as if a swarm of butterflies were trapped in a wild storm in her stomach, making her feel the need to throw up. Her face felt like it was heating up as if she was having a fever. But Kirie wasn't sick. Kirie thought for a moment until..

(_..shall you ever fall in love with a man...)_

....she gasped. Was Kirie...?

"Kirie, are you ok?" He touched her hand, looking concerned.

Despite wanting to stay in the garden with Huyu, her body seemed to got up on its own and walked inside, forcing her go back into her room. Huyu did nothing but watch....

-

_"Sometimes at life, you will find yourself in a deep hole. You will spend most of your life trying to get out of it....."_

_"What will happen when you do actually get out it it?"_

_"Sometimes nothing will happen...but at times, you will find a very special someone waiting for you at the top." _

_"...are you waiting for me at the top, Huyu?"_


	5. Tears

**_A/N: Long chapter is long. I feel guilty in making this probably the longest chapter in the story. Enjoy._**

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_"I know it will be a girl.."_

_"There is only a 50-50 chance of it being a girl, Chouko. It might even be twins!" _

_"I know dear....but if it was a girl, what name shall we give her?"_

_"I was thinking maybe Sae or Yae..." _

----November 11, 1983-----

Ryokan has never been so much stress in his life. The first time was in his mid-teens, when he had lost his older twin brother in an accident. His brother was his best and only friend and when he passed away, Ryokan nearly cracked and attempted suicide. However, he soon moved on and married the woman of his dreams; her name was Chouko. Things were going great until Chouko died in childbirth after delivering twin girls; both were named Sae and Yae. Ryokan, at this point, thought about attempting suicide once again after feeling the same pain of losing his brother but then he thought about his two daughters. What were to happen to them if he had died? Should they suffer about not having a mother **AND** father, especially at a young age? So he decided to move on once again and take care of his two daughters. All was well once again until....

Yae went missing.

Ryokan, however this time, just became worried. However, he wasn't worried about Yae's disappearance (although he was a little worried about her). Instead, he's worrying about Sae, seeing he takes more after him while Yae took more after her mother. He knows what he has went through when his brother died. He couldn't imagine what Sae was going through when Yae mysteriously disappears....

"...Father..." Sae's voice was weak from crying. She held tight to her small pillow, still having a pained expression on her face. "D-Did anything....come up yet?"

Ryokan came a sympathic look at his daughter and patted her head. "No Sae. I am afraid not..."

Sae's eyes looked away, new tears leaking out once again. She fell to her bed and gave a small sob into her red pillow once again. Ryokan sat near her and rubbed her head. He was being reminded of when his brother and wife had died once again.

"Sae, I am sorry but...." he gulped. "...its been a month already. No traces of her have been found...she is presumably..."

"DO NOT EVER SAY THAT!!!" Sae spat at her father, tears still coming down her cheeks.

Ryokan was clearly taken back.

Sae wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her white, oversized sweater and glared at him again. "Yae will come home soon, safe and sound. No scratches on her, no shit. It was like before! Yae left home once and she came back, all safe and unscratched!"

"Sae..." Ryokan made an unsure look. "That was when you two were young...you two are almost young women and-"

Sae glared at him with an intense fury. Ryokan was clearly frightened by the look of her intense eyes. She then slowly shook her head, denying everything he had said. "No....no..." She then grabbed her head as if it was hurting. Tears came running down. "NO!!! NO!!! SHE WILL!! SHE CAN'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!!"

Not knowing what to do now, he quickly left the room. Before leaving, he heard her screaming many times..

_(..DON'T LEAVE ME!! DON'T EVER LEAVE ME!!!..)_

Although he wanted to go comfort her, he just walked away, leaving Sae to cry all by herself.

----

_"Have you heard?"_

_"Yeah, after Yae Kurosawa disappeared, I heard Sae went crazy. She still believes Yae will come back!" _

_"Pfft, Yae is obviously dead. It's been at least a month and nothing has been told." _

_"Look at her. She's a nervous wreck. I don't even see why she would be even here. If she wants Yae so much, she should die then so she can be with her." _

_"Wait...you think the reason she's acting like this is because she's the one who killed her?" _

_----  
_

As Sae walked in the hallway to her next class, she kept hearing numerous voices. Despite her normal appearance on the outside, underneath that school uniform and expressionless look, she is slowly becoming...

(.._the holy _red_ angel..)_

..becoming someone else more dangerous.

(_"I heard even her father thinks she's crazy.")_

_("Ryokan Kurosawa?")_

_("Yeah, that's the one. I heard that she's becoming too much to handle even for her father...")_

Sae looked back at the people behind her. As soon as her eyes met theirs, the people looked away. Sae kept walking, trying to ignore those rumors behind her. As she kept walking, she found more and more people talking about her. She looked away and saw everybody was avoiding looking at her as if she was the gorgon, Medusa. Feeling threatened, she started to walk faster, trying ignore everyone.

(_"I heard she tried to attempt suicide once, but her father caught her before she can!")_

_("I heard about that too! She tried to slash her wrist but when her father came into her room..") _

Sae closed her eyes tightly and, started to run, despite her knee starting to hurt. She didn't know where she was going but didn't care.

("_They say the only reason Sae keeps thinking Yae would come back is because of some dumb promise,"_

_("A promise? Why would Sae go crazy over some promise?")_

Sae held her head as she continued to run, new tears coming from her eyes. She opened her mouth and..

(.._laughed at everyone's misery..)_

..screamed. Everyone was looking at Sae now. Sae, herself, ignored this and continued running until she met a staircase. She still continued to run until she feel off the first step. She opened her eyes and realized she was about to fall. She knows of the consequences of falling down the stairs but chose to accept it, hoping it would kill her. However...

A boy was right in front of her to catch her.

"Woah Sae!" The boy exclaimed as Sae fell into his chest. It was Itsuki. "Clumsy as usual, aren't we?" He held onto the railing, trying not to fall back.

Sae looked at him with teary eyes. "I-Itsuki?"

Itsuki saw Sae's shimmering eyes and gave a sympathetic look. "Sae..." he calmly said, his voice comforting Sae.

Sae soon broke down into Itsuki's chest, making his shirt a little wet. Itsuki gave a hug to Sae, hoping to comfort her. "It's about Yae, isn't it?"

Sae gave no response. She continued to sob into Itsuki's chest.

Itsuki rubbed Sae's head as she continued to cry. "It's ok.....It's ok...." he softly said to Sae. "It's ok...."

Noticing people were staring at the two, Itsuki gave a a glare with intense anger, signaling them to leave. Everyone, looking at Itsuki, soon left the hallway, leaving the two alone.

"Don't leave me....." Sae sobbed, tightly hugging Itsuki. "Don't ever leave me.....you promised...."

(.._You _fucking_ promised...)_

----

It was quiet in the Tachibana house. The main adults in the house were off at work while little Chitose laid asleep on the sofa. She was moving a bit and making whimpering sounds, worrying Itsuki a bit. Itsuki placed a hand on her head, and soon after, Chitose stopped moving and went back to sleeping peacefully.

Itsuki led out a relieved sigh and looked back at Sae. She was looked down at the ground as she sat next to Itsuki, her eyes still wet. Itsuki looked at Sae for a moment and thought of something. Right now, Sae was reminding Itsuki of how he acted when he....

(.._took his breath away, acting as if it was nothing..)_

...lost his twin brother, Mutsuki. He remembered the days of when he had lost his brother. He cried for days, never speaking to anyone except to his young sister, Chitose. Itsuki felt sorry for his little sister however; when Mutsuki died, Chitose didn't know what had happened to him. Feeling Chitose was too young to know about Mutsuki's passing, he simply told her he was "sleeping". Although the lie worked, she still believed Mutsuki was still "sleeping" and wonders when is he coming back. Itsuki feels extremely guilty about this, he wished he would've told Chitose....no. The entire town about what had really happened to Mutsuki and the truth about his death. That he-

"Itsuki, are you alright?" Her voice was soft, weakened from sobbing earlier.

Itsuki shook his head, returning from reality. He took a look at Sae, seeing that her tear stained face. "Is something the matter?" He spoke softly to her.

Sae laid a hand on his cheek, making Itsuki's face warm up a bit. "Are you ok?" She took her hand back and looked at it. It was clearly wet.

Itsuki stared at her hand for a moment and felt his cheek; it was wet also. He realized after all that thinking, he was starting to cry. Sae touched his other hand and gave a sympathtic look. "Itsuki...is it because of Mutsuki?"

Itsuki sadly nodded. More tears came out from his eyes as he continued to think more and more about Mutsuki. Sae, seeing this, pulled him into a small hug.

"Itsuki, its ok...whatever happened wasn't your fault..."

(_"Yes, it was.")_

Itsuki, hearing the dark voice, pulled away from Sae. He held his head in pain as his eyes were forced shut. Sae, obviously hurt from Itsuki moving away from her, tried to touch his shoulder when..

"PLEASE!! DO NOT-!" Remembering Chitose asleep, he got up and walked to the hallway leading to his room, wanting to be alone. However a certain girl held onto his wrist.

"Itsuki....what is the matter?" Her eyes filled with sadness. "Please tell me..."

Itsuki looked at Sae with teary eyes. A sigh came out of his lips as he opened the door to his room. He showed Sae into his room as he closed the door. Sae took a seat onto his neat bed before looking at him again. "Itsuki, can you tell me now? I would like to know..."

"..It's Mutsuki."

"Mutsuki? Its only been a year but...I guess I wouldn't blame you..."

"Sae... " A thud came from the ground as Itsuki rested his body on the door. "I can't take it."

"What?"

"You heard me....I can't fucking take it..."

"Itsu-"

Itsuki shook his head. "No, don't try to say anything. I can't take it anymore. I'm waking up every night, covered in sweat and fear. I keep finding white hair in my hair every now and then, and at this age! I have to keep lying to Chitose that he's still "sleeping"!! I am constantly being haunted by the only memories I have left of Mutsuki!! " He put his face into his hands. "I can't live this fucking lie anymore....I can't..."

"What lie?"

Itsuki's eyes widen and tore his wet face away from his hands, staring at Sae. He just realized what he had said.

"Sae....I'm sorry but I'm afraid to ask you to leave.." he said with regret as he stood up.

(_He has no time left...)_

"What?"

"Sae, please.." he opened the door. "Your father must be worried sick about you..."

Sae gave a sad nod as she grabbed her school bag. As soon she got off the bed, Itsuki soon walked her to the front door and gave her a small hug before she left. After closing the door, he looked over at Chitose, who was still sounding asleep. He sadly smiled as he walked over to Chitose, placing his hand onto Chitose's head. Much to Itsuki's suprise, Chitose woke up from her peaceful dream.

"Itsuki..?" Her big eyes were looking up at Itsuki's face. She noticed he had been crying. "Are you sad again?"

Itsuki's eyes widen and he gently wiped them with the sleeve of his shirt uniform. "Yeah..." he sniffed as he pulled Chitose into a hug.

"Don't worry, Mutsuki will come back any day now...right?"

Something caught Itsuki's eyes.

"Chitose, why won't you go play with your toys....I have to go do something...."

---

"_Itsuki, whatever happened to Mutsuki isn't your fault..."_

_"Yeah, he always did have problems...his suicide wasn't your fault." _

_"...Yeah..."_

Who said his death was of suicide? There are many ways to stop breathing....one inquired two people to stop breathing.....


	6. Annoucement

_**A/N: I didn't like this chapter one bit.**_ _**Sorry if its bad**_. **_I also looked up some stuff about the Geisha so hopefully its correct. Enjoy._**

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_**_"Why are you all by yourself?"_

_"...."_

_"I'm Kaname, what's your name?"_

_".....Reika...."_

_--_-February 1, 1981--

Reika sat in her bed in silence. She had been introduced to not only her bed but the entire house not so long ago after getting out of the hospital. Her heart had healed slightly by the warm welcomes of Yashuu and her daughter, Kyouka, but it was still damaged from the death of her parents. The two deaths that were caused by her hands...

She got up and walked to the window; it was still raining. Days after she was checked out of the hospital, it has been raining constantly with no signs of stopping. Just like..

(.._It's all your fault...)_

..that day of the storm. Reika's heart became faster in rhythm and quickly shut the blinds shut. Although she can't see the drops of water falling and hitting the glass of the window, she can still sense it. It felt like that day...the day she-

_Knock Knock Knock._

Reika shook her head and looked at the door. "It's open." Her voice was shaking a little from the cold made by the rain.

The door creaked open a little and right in the doorway was a very young-looking woman, despite being in her late thirties, with very long dark hair, barely reaching past her bottom; it was Kyouka. Reika sighed in relief, glad it was her daughter that she was hoping for, not...

(.._that old hag..) _

..Yashuu.

"Reika?" Kyouka's voice was soft and gentle, somewhat motherly. "You do not have to stay in here all alone...If you want, you can come into the main room with me..."

(.._There is someone there...don't go...)_

Reika thought for a moment and nodded. She then left the room and followed Kyouka down the long hallway. As they were walking, Reika noticed in one of the photos a young woman and man, arm in arm. The young woman looked like Kyouka only slighty younger and prettier; however, she had no clue. who the man was. She noticed how Kyouka only had 2 childred so probably that man was her husband or lover, but why isn't he here right now...?

"We're here, mother..." Kyouka quietly muttered as she and Reika entered a large room with many belongings in it, including a grandfather's clock. Yashuu was sitting on a cushion, face looking down at the table in front of her. Reika looked around and saw a little girl with pigtails playing with a crimson ball. Reika was slowly walking towards the girl, thinking that the girl might be feeling lonely when suddenly...

"Aname, come.." A young man quietly spoke to the little girl as he came out of from the garden. He held out a hand to her. "Why don't you play in my room? Grandmother Yashuu needs us out of here for a moment.."

The little girl, Amane, nodded her head and held onto the man's hand, still carrying her ball in the other hand. They began to walk out the main room, passing Reika on their way there. Reika turned her head and looked at the back of the man's head. For some reason, he looked quite familiar to her. Has she seen him before? Before Reika could ask anything, Yashuu called for her.

"Reika. Come here, I need to speak with you about something." Yashuu's voice sounded stern as usual.

"But-"

"It is mandatory, come here now."

Reika looked at Kyouka with a bewildered look, hoping she would know what was going to happen. Although Kyouka knew what her mother was going to say, she sadly shook her head and continued to stand there, much to Reika's dismay. Reika, not knowing what else to do, sat on the cushion near the table, across from Yashuu, and prepared to hear what she has to say...

---

It was still raining. Rain was still pouring from the skies as Reika laid in her bed in despair with Kyouka sitting near her, rubbing her head for comfort. Yashuu explained to her that the reason why she was accepted into the Kuze household. What Reika didn't know about the Kuze household was that it used to be a geisha house. Yashuu then asked Reika a question that broke her heart: either become a geisha or be kicked out of the house.

Reika was trained to become a geisha from a very young age at the request of her two parents. Even though Reika didn't want to, she had no choose but to endure the training and be separated from her mother and father. However when she turned 20, she turned down the offer of becoming a geisha, much to the disappointment of her parents.

Kyouka understood her pain as she had been forced to become a geisha by her mother before. However before her training can be completed, she fell in love with Akito, a boy her age at the time, and after one night, got pregnant. Yashuu, furious at this, ordered Kyouka to get rid of the unborn baby, in fear it would interfere with her training. Kyouka, not wanting to kill both her and Akito's baby, refused to thus ruining Kyouka's future career of a being a geisha.

"Reika..." She kept rubbing her head, her small eyes looking at Reika. "I-"

Suddenly the door opened. Kyouka looked up and saw it was..

(_..that bastard who ruined your future.._)

..her son, Kaname. "Mother." his voice was calm and quiet, or so Reika thought. It reminded him a bit of that boy she met when she was younger. "Aname wishes to see you."

Kyouka let out a sigh and stood up. As she left the room, Kaname notice Reika lying in the bed, her eyes on the wall. Kaname walked over to the bed to get a closer look at the depressed woman.

"Please." Kaname hear her say. It somehow reminded him of that little girl on the day when his sister was born. "I am now to live a life without love...I do not want to speak to a man like you..."

(.._It'll be your fault...)_

(_..just like with Kyouka and that boy's father..._)

(_...would you want him end up like..._)

_(_.._LIKE YOUR PARENTS?!)_

Reika closed her eyes shut, trying to ignore that voice. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, so she kept her eyes away from Kaname, not wanting to embarass herself. Kaname, however, already saw her tears and felt sorry for the poor woman. He musted've guess what his grandmother had said to Reika, as he knew of the tale of how he was conceived. He placed a hand on her long, dark hair, much to Reika's surprise.

"You do not have to be here all alone..." he muttered softly, trying to comfort her. "It isn't good, especially for a person like you."

"......"

" I never got to say this to you in person because of my grandmother but welcome to our family. I don't know if you heard my name before but I am Kaname Kuze. What is yours?"

Why did that name sound familar? Has Reika heard of it? "....."

(.._You aren't a Yukishiro anymore._ _Say it!_)

"Well?"

(.._SAY IT!!!)_

"...I am Reika Kuze..."

---

_"He sounds familar..."_

No, he doesn't.

_"He does...his voice.."_

Doesn't mean shit.

_"Could he be that boy...?"_

Are you telling me you're starting to like him?

_"............."_

Bullshit.


	7. Last Meeting

_While since I updated, oh my. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

_

"_Huyu, have you ever seen a woman in this house?"_

"_Uh…I haven't sir."_

"_Alright…but if you have, it could've been the spirit of my late wife." _

"_Spirit? Are you saying this house is haunted?" _

"_Maybe, maybe not. All I'm saying is that if you see a woman anywhere in the house; do not speak to her. _Ever_. Do you understand?" _

"_Yes sir…" _

Looking through the small opening of the door, a young woman could be seen eavesdropping the conversation.

---November 25th 1979---

It had been almost a month ever since Kirie had met the man. Every night when her father was away, she had been sneaking out of her room to talk with Huyu. On every visit, Huyu would tell her more and more about the outside world she had been missing; he taught her the name of every flower that was growing in the garden, the name of the common animals that were seen everyday—such as the flying feathered creatures, they were called "birds"—he told her about the emotions humans feel every now and then—such as the emotion, "loneliness", which Kirie feels most of the time in her…

(_"prison"_)

…room. The one feeling she remembers the most, however, is how she feels around Huyu was…

("_guilt"_)

…**love**. The way he talks and touches Kirie with benevolence brings butterflies to her stomach and heat to her face. Kirie liked it however. She liked being with Huyu and Huyu liked being with her. They would spend countless times outside in the cold night, talking with one another. Kirie knew if her father would ever catch them together, Kirie would be severely punished. She prayed, however, that if she were ever found with him, her father would hopefully accept her and Huyu's feelings for each other…

(_"of course…there is no such thing as _happily ever after_ in reality")_

Kirie sat in her room, writing in her diary as usual. Her father told her that he was leaving for the night again, giving Kirie another chance of talking with Huyu once again. She looked from her diary and back at the clock. **11:45 PM**, it read. Later than when Huyu and Kirie meet each other, but it was rather fine…

Suddenly, a rock hit her window, scaring Kirie a bit. She knew who it was however.

"Right on time," she happily muttered as she closed her diary. She stood up and walked over to the window, where Huyu was waiting down below.

"So you're not asleep yet?" Huyu shouted at Kirie, joy in his voice.

Kirie giggled a little. "My father is gone?" Huyu gave a nod. "Alright! I'll be down in a minute!

Kirie closed her window shut and hid her diary in her pillow. Before leaving the room, she grabbed a jacket and left the room, going down the stairs. As she reached the kitchen, she noticed something missing on the wall: the demon mask that Kirie's father kept. It was a family heirloom so where could it be? Kirie shrugged it off and went into the back yard, where Huyu was sitting on the mat on the floor, waiting for Kirie.

"You're late." Huyu said jokingly. "What happened?"

Kirie smiled and took a seat next to Huyu. "I was waiting for the right time when to come down and you didn't tell me when it was safe…it's basically your fault I'm late."

"He left over a while ago," Huyu was cutting a peach once again. "Don't blame me for anything.."

Kirie giggled again. "I suppose…how was your day today? You didn't get hurt again, did you?"

Huyu shook his head. "Don't worry, I didn't. I did cut my finger however.." he set the peach slices on the plate and offered it to Kirie.

Kirie took a slice. "Thank you," she took a bite. "You aren't very care with sharp objects are you?"

Huyu took a glance at Kirie as he ate his slice. "Not really. I almost took out my eye once when I was younger."

"Really?" Kirie's eyes grew big. "Did anything happen?"

Huyu shook his head. "No, nothing really…" He stuffed the last piece of the slice into his mouth. "Let's not talk about that now. How long do you plan to stay here this time?"

(_"you should leave now"_)

"Hopefully for an hour or two like always."

"Hm, I see…" He took another slice.

Kirie gave him a questioned look. "I don't want to be rude or anything but…why do you like peaches so much?"

Huyu gave a chuckle as he took another bite into the slice. "They're quite good actually. You know that right?"

Kirie smiled. "They are quite tasty…but every time I come out here, you are always cutting a peach and offering slices to me. Why is that?"

"Let me tell you something…" he gulped down the peach bits he was eating. "In my family, peaches are a symbol of love."

"Love? Like that feeling you told me about one time…?"

Huyu nodded. "If you really care about someone, usually members of my family offer a couple of some to the people they love, a sign that you love them."

Kirie stopped chewing her peach and took a glance at Huyu. "Are you saying…"

Huyu nodded with a grin on his face.

Kirie's face turned bright red as she looked away from Huyu. "The trees look so beautiful tonight, don't they?"

"They aren't the only ones who are looking beautiful…"

Kirie let out a big grin and leaned against Huyu's shoulder, happily enjoying the view. Huyu took a glance at Kirie and wrapped his arm around her body. As the couple sat there, looking at the view of the trees and the moon, a certain being was seen in a window nearby, his face covered by a mask; the heirloom mask, to be specific…

Before he knew it, something inside of him snapped.

_("kill the boy before he does any other damage to your dear daughter…would you want her to end up like your wife…")_

He continued watching….

_("do you?")_

…and watching…

_("DO YOU?!")_

Not wanting to look anymore, he turned away, thinking up a plan about what to do with his daughter and Huyu…

* * *

"Kirie, you must understand. I am only doing this for your good. This boy cannot give you the happiness that I give you. This boy will only end up hurting you in the end. Please find it in your heart to forgive your father about what he is about to do…"

As he talked, a sword could be seen in his hand.

"If I don't do anything now…then it'll be too late…you would've already…fallen in **love**…"

He opens the door and sees Huyu at his desk, reading a document. Huyu had went back to his room after wishing Kirie a good night after their usual nightly conversation and before heading to bed, he reads a document his late father had given him: something that involves with the Himuro family…

"If that happens…"

Huyu turned around and sees Kirie's father behind him at the door. "Master Himuro? You need to tell me about anything?" He looked at the sword in his hand. "Why do you have a sword?"

"…" He walks into the room, closer and closer.

Huyu stood up and back away a little. "W-What are you doing?"

He spoke no word. He continued to walk closer and closer to Huyu.

"Please Master Himuro, if I had done anything to offend you, you can't go this far!" Panic can be heard in his voice.

He raised his sword…

"Master Himuro, please!!"

He hesitated for a moment, thinking of the consequences…

(_"remember the deadliest sin of all? _Feeling guilty_? Would you want to violate that sin?")_

"Master Himuro, what will Kirie think?!"

_("DO YOU?!"_)

Suddenly, he brought down his sword. After making a hit, he made another and another, crimson spilling everywhere, even on his mask. Huyu could be heard screaming, begging for Kirie's help. No sound was heard back, however…….except for his sadistic laughter as he killed the boy. Soon after he was done, the body was now in pieces, left over from his dirty homicide. Does he feel any remorse? **No.** Does he feel any sympathy? **No.** Does he feel any sorrow? **No.**

All he feels is **joy**. Joyful now that nothing can be done to hurt his daughter again…he feels so happy, he let out a great big laughter as he left the room, all covered in crimson.

"I didn't break any sins tonight dear…" he muttered to himself. An image of his late wife appeared in his head, giving him a disappointed look. "I only did what would be safe for Kirie…however…"

"_If Kirie shows any sign of being in _**love**,_ I shall _**punish**_ her like how I punished that_ **boy**_**…"

* * *

**I kinda rushed it at the end I guess. Hope it made sense.  
_


	8. I'm Sorry

_Nearly half over. Hope you enjoy it._

_

* * *

__"For corrupting the village leader's daughter, I shall have you cut up and left for dead!" _

_"I did nothing to hurt the poor girl! I'm telling the truth!" _

_"Father, its true! He didn't hurt me!" _

_"Quiet Tsuzuri! Outsider, you came into this town as a folklorist. Now, you will stay in this village as a corpse…"_

_"**NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!**_**"**

-----December 2nd 1983----

Sae sat on the swings of the park as her frail knee started hurting once more She ignored the pain however as she is already dealing with enough pain in her fragile heart. It has been almost nearly two months ever since Yae has disappeared that night and still no signs of where her location could be. Everyone has given hope and thought she had died…everyone except…

"Yae…" Sae cried out; she was looking at the ground. "I need you here…please return soon…"

The pain from her knee lessened a little but the pain inside of her only grew more and more, causing her to shed some tears.

(_"Why cry. Crying's not going to get your sister back. Suck it up and accept that she _**left** _you."_)

Sae choked back a couple of sobs. "Yae…you didn't leave me.." she held her hand to her face, wiping some tears away. "you just…you just…"

Sae broke down into her hands, unaware of the person standing nearby. The person noticed Sae's condition and sat on the swing next to her. She leaned over to Sae with a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong Miss Sae?"

Sae looked up from her hands and looked at the person; it was Itsuki's little sister, Chitose. "Oh…its you.." she sniffed as she wiped her tears away. "Nothing's wrong really.."

Chitose looked at Sae with innocence in her eyes. "Really? You're actually like Itsuki when Mutsuki was sent to sleep for a very long time."

Sae's eyes widened. "Did Itsuki tell you what actually happened with Mutsuki, Chitose?"

Chitose shook her head.

Sae let out a sigh as she looked at the ground. "Chitose…Mutsuki—"

("_Don't tell the girl. You're going to break her heart.")_

"—Mutsuki, he—"

(_"Don't tell her…")_

Sae tried fighting back tears again. "—Mutsuki di—"

_("DON'T _**FUCKING**_ TELL HER!!")_

Sae stopped talking and continued looking at the ground, making Chitose wonder about what she was about to say. "What happened to Mutsuki, Miss Sae? I can handle it, honest! I've been wanting to see him a lot recently but Itsuki and my parents show me an urn instead. I don't understand why though…"

Sae wiped her tears away and stood up. "C'mon. I'll come with you to your house so Itsuki could tell you what happened, alright?"

Chitose nodded. "Ok…but Itsuki's a little busy…"

"Busy?"

"He asked me to go to the park for a little while and if you were here…" she took out a note from her pocket. "..he wanted me to give you this."

Sae's eyes filled with wonder. "A note? Does he want me to read it right away?"

Chitose shook her head. "He wants you to come over first before reading it."

Sae shrugged her shoulders and placed the note in her pocket. "Alright then," he grabbed Chitose's hand. "Let's go then."

And there they go, walking to the Tachibana house where they are in for a big surprise…

* * *

"Itsuki?" Sae exclaimed as she took her shoes off. "Itsuki, are you in here?"

Sae stepped inside the house and looked around; their parents weren't inside, probably still at work. _How can Itsuki just leave Chitose like this? _She wondered to herself as she walked into the main room of the house. _He isn't usually like this…_

"Did he say what he was going to do?"

The little girl shook her head. "No…he just took me to go to the park to see if you were there. He had something in his hand though…"

Her heart skipped a beat. "What?"

("_Yes, young maiden..?")_

"He had something in his hand?!" she turned and faced the little girl. "What was it?!"

Chitose thought for a moment. "It was…

("…don't tell anyone about this alright? I don't want anyone but her to find out, alright?")

"…I think it was a rope…"

Sae's eyes widen as she ran over to Itsuki's room. "CHITOSE, STAY THERE!!"

"But—!"

"STAY THERE!"

The young girl did Sae commanded her to do as she ran as fast as she can, nearly running into the door leading to Itsuki's room; It was locked. "Itsuki!!" She screamed, banging on the door. "Please unlock the door! It's Sae!"

Suddenly the door made a sound. Was Itsuki opening the door? Sae grabbed the knob of the door and slowly turned the knob, afraid to go in. As she slowly opened the door, her heartbeat continued beating faster and faster until she saw…

(_"…her corpse hangs her the ceiling, her punishment of the cleansing…") _

…her dear friend hanging from the ceiling. His eyes were seen rolled back into his head while his skin has turned pale, with his limbs hanging stiffly. The stool under his feet was seen tipped over next to a folded piece of paper; drops of a red liquid could be seen on it.

Sae's eyes widen, deep shock could be seen in her eyes. "No…" she slowly shook her head as she took a few steps toward the corpse. "No….no…!"

She opened her mouth and let out a…

(_"...menacing laughter..")_

…a blood-curdling scream.

"ITSUKI!!!"

Chitose, who was sitting on the sofa downstairs, heard Sae's cries and ran up the stairs. "Miss Sae?!" She continued running to Sae, despite her lungs already hurting a bit. "Miss Sae, what's wrong with my brot—"

Chitose took no more steps as she saw her lifeless brother hanging from the ceiling.

"Chitose!" Sae muttered as she looked behind her. Streams of tears could be seen going down her cheeks.

"Is…is that….?"

"NO!!" Sae ran to Chitose and tried to shield her from the sight of Itsuki's corpse. "Please, do not look! You are too young to be exposed to this…act…"

_("…_Too Late_…")_

"Miss Sae…" Chitose hugged Sae, clearly afraid of the current situation. "…please tell me…is that Itsuki?"

The pain in the young woman grew as her grip around the young girl grew tighter while more tears dripped down her cheeks. "Chitose…please…"

_("…don't commit the same _deed_ your brother did…")

* * *

_

**_Sae_**

_ Hopefully, You discovered what I have done.._

_Please don't be too upset with me…._

_I was unable to handle the guilt of strangling Mutsuki..._

_He was becoming suicidal and I didn't want to see him trying to take his own life…_

_So I took his life myself. _

_I realized the mistake I have done. _

_No matter how happy I looked, inside the pain of guilt was eating my heart…_

_I couldn't handle it… _

_I will be regretting what I did as I will be leaving my loved ones, including you,_

_But I just can't take the pain any longer… _

_Before I am done with this letter, I have something to tell you._

_Yae _**did**_ leave you._

_She ran away to elope with Ryozo and was planning to take you with her but…_

_You fell._

_When you were found in the forest, you had no memory of the night Yae disappeared._

_Your father told me to keep quiet._

_He knew why she ran away but he didn't want you to find out the truth._

_He knew it would break your heart.._

_He knew how fragile you were…_

_I did too…so I kept quiet…_

_Until now. _

_I'm sorry to leave you now. Please, I want you to be the Sae like before; the Sae before Yae ran away. I know I will not be there to comfort you anymore but always remember…_

_I am still there, in your heart. _

_**Itsuki**

* * *

_

Sae looked as if she was sleeping, although she wasn't. She was in a great deal of pain; both physically and mentally. After Itsuki's suicide, Sae fell into a deep depression and stop eating, soon giving her body nearly an emaciated look while what appears to be scars were seen cut across her arms. Her father tried to get the girl help but Sae refused to, preferring the way she looks than getting help back to normal….

She laid in her bed, her back turned to the window. She didn't want to look outside, where the sun was. She didn't want to talk to anyone, knowing they thought she was becoming mad. She didn't want to see her father, angry with him for keeping Yae's true whereabouts away from Sae. All she wanted to do was just to stay in her room, away from everything in the big world….

Until suddenly…

**Young maiden, are you ok…?**

Sae opened her eyes, hearing the voice. "…." She gave no response.

**Oh my…I could see some of your bones…you have not been eating. Why is that? **

"….."

**I have been observing you lately, young maiden.**

Sae's eyes lit up.

**From people's point of view, they see you as a person gone mad…an over-reactor…a crybaby…basically, they have a negative view of you…**

Sae closed her eyes, trying to ignore the voice.

**I am different however. My opinion of you is quite different…I see you as a little girl who wants her sister and friend back. That I find quite normal in your situation, especially with a girl as fragile as you. **

She opened her eyes yet again. "What?"

**So you do talk. At least I know I won't feel like I am talking to myself. **

"Why are you talking to someone like me…" tears bled down her eyes. "I am nothing but an outcast…even my own father won't talk to me…"

**That is because you won't let him.**

"What?"

**He cares a lot about you, you should know that. What he asked that boy to do and what he didn't say was for your own safety. You should be grateful.**

Sae thought for a moment. "Would you care to tell me who you are…?

**I do not give my name out so easily but because I feel sympathy for you, you may call me Seijiro…**


	9. A Mistake?

"_Akito…I don't want you to go…please…"_

"_Kyouka…don't worry I'll be back soon._

"_Are you sure?" _

"_Yes, don't worry. I'll try to call you every day so you could hear my voice. Alright?" _

"_That is all I need to hear…" _

Eavesdropping on the conversation is woman hidden from their sight, staring at the two with bitterness.

----March 21 1981-----

She kept combing her hair.

Despite her hair being perfectly fine, she kept combing and combing. Hurt can be seen on her face as she continued to comb and comb.

"Akito…Akito…" Kyouka muttered to herself as she stared at her image in the mirror. "When are you coming back…when?!"

Suddenly, his image replaced hers; he looked depressed.

"Akito?! Is that you?!" Kyouka screamed at the man. Hot tears came pouring down from her eyes, both filled with emotions of joy and sorrow. "Please tell me! Why haven't you come back yet?!"

No response.

"Akito…? Akito…"

Still no response.

"Akito…Akito……AKITO!!! AKITO!! YOU SAID YOU WOULD COME BACK!! PLEASE!! I WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!" The insane woman grabbed her hair and stared at it with hurt eyes "…my mother…she doesn't want us to see each other but…I don't care…I love you and only you…please…please listen to me…"

Still no response.

Instead of a response, however, a woman's sorrowful scream can be heard.

Kyouka ripped out her hair that was in her grip and threw it straight to the ground. She took each breath in and out heavily, forgetting of the breathing problems she's been having recently. As she stared at the mirror, the image of her old lover slowly transform back into the broken woman's image. Traces of blood can be seen dripping down her head where she ripped parts of her rain.

"Aki…to…?"

Filled with agony and sorrow, Kyouka fell to her knees and started sobbing heavily, her breathing becoming more and more difficult. A little girl could be seen seeing the situation through the little crack of the door, her face filled with sympathy.

"Miss Kyouka…" Feeling that Kyouka wanted to be alone, she silently closed the door. Little tears can be seen at the corners of her eyes. "What happened…?"

"Hey Shigure!"

The little girl turned her head and saw a girl running towards her; there was a red hairpin at the side of her head.

"Minamo…" the little girl muttered sadly as the running girl planted her feet in front of her.

The girl looked at Shigure with curiosity in her eyes. "Eh, Shigure what's wrong with you? You look sad."

Shigure looked away, not wanting to say about Kyouka's situation. "It's nothing…where are Hisame and Aname?"

"Hisame's with Miss Yashuu as usual. I don't know where Aname went but she said that Miss Reika's coming with her."

* * *

"Brother's this way…" Aname happily muttered to Reika as she led her through a hallway. "He's been waiting a long time for you…"

Reika gave a small smile. "I've been waiting too but you know your grandmother…"

"Grandmother's been so hard lately…especially towards Kaname.."

Reika looked at Aname with concerned eyes. "Hard? Did something happen?"

"Mother…she—"

Suddenly, the door opened and out came Kaname, dressed in his usual shade of blue. "Oh Aname! There you are…" he said with relief, smiling. He turned his eyes toward Reika, who was blushing quite a bit. "Hello Reika."

Reika bowed, feeling a bit shy. "Hello…"

Seeing the two making contact with each other, Aname let out a big smile and happily left the two, going to go search for her adopted sisters. Noticing the two were alone, Kaname reached into his room and held out a wrapped box that was previously on his desk in his hand. It was a shade of blue, Reika's favorite color.

"Here…" Kaname said to Reika, offering the box to her. "This is for you."

Reika blushed and accepted the box. "T-Thank you…" she bowed. "But…may I ask what this is for?"

Suddenly Kaname's lips met hers. Shock filled Reika's eyes but she accepted the kiss, glad that the boy she liked felt the same way about her. Sadly, Kaname tore his lips away from the girl. He came close to her ear and whispered something to her.

"I have strong feelings for you that's why."

With that comment, Kaname left the Reika and walked down the hallway, feeling confident in his confession. Reika, on the other hand, touched her lips, her face feeling hot. She looked down at the box in her hand and unwrapped it, trying carefully not to fully rip the paper. When she opened the box, a beautiful, single earring made of a stone can be found inside.

Reika let out a small gasp. "This…this is an Echo Stone Earring…rumor has it that if two people share an earring, then they are destined to be together forever…if he gave me one then he…"

Reika's eyes leaked tears of joy as she happily held the earring in her palm. As she left the halfway, a girl with long, black hair can be seen peering through the glass.

Unknown to both Kaname and Reika, she had seen the whole situation.

* * *

"Kyouka, I have to talk to you."

Kyouka looked up from her koto and stared at her mother with concerned eyes. "Yes…mother?"

Yashuu let out a deep sigh as she stepped into the room. "Kyouka, I'm concerned about...

(_"…that bastard's son…")_

…Kaname…"

Kyouka let out a small chuckle and continued to play her koto quietly. "Mother, Kaname's only going to be gone for a couple of days. I'm sure he will be—"

The elderly woman made a stern face. "No, I'm not worried about that. I don't want him to be talking to Reika."

An out-of-note can be heard being plucked as Yashuu finished speaking.

"What do you mean?" Kyouka snapped, looking up from her koto.

"Kyouka…please don't—"

"Is this all about your geisha crap again?! You know, Reika has a choice of whether she wants to be one or not. I can't believe you want to take that choice away from her!"

Yashuu took in a deep breath, trying to be calm. "Kyouka, I know how much you bonded with Reika but…I want to revive the tradition of the Kuze Family hosting geishas…I already have Aname and those three other girls from the orphanage training to be geishas but why are you making such a fuss about Reika?"

"It is tradition for Kuze women take in such a training at a young age and then decide when they reach the age of 20. However, forcing a woman at the age of **23** to become one just so she can live under a roof…I cannot tolerate such a thing. Do you not know how hard she cried after you told her, especially after her family and friends died in that storm?!"

Yashuu was speechless. She glared at her daughter with deep fury in her eyes, remembering the incident of when that man came by, asking if he can stay under their roof during that great blizzard….

The man who was the father of…

(_"…that bastard…")_

…Kaname…

"Kyouka…I do not want Reika to make a mistake like you did many years ago…"

"What mistake?!"

"Your son, of course."

"NO!!" She screamed out, her voice becoming hoarse. "KANAME WASN'T A MISTAKE!" Tears full of sorrow came down her cheeks, her wet eyes staring at her mother's stern face. "He was the best thing that came into my life other than his father and Aname. I can never call him a mistake! Akito…if he was here right now, he would've loved Kaname as much as I do…but I know he'll come soon…" With that comment, she suddenly started coughing, her illness acting up again.

Yashuu's eyes filled with horror. Did her daughter just…?

She remembered that incident long ago…after the storm softened.

She felt as if he was becoming too close with Kyouka, interfering with her training…

She knew he had no family and that he was a traveler, meaning no job…how could he have supported her daughter then?

She did the only tactic she could think of….

("_…a woman goes down into the basement, a bundle in her hands. The light was flicking on-and-off, giving some source of life. She placed the bundle into an old chest and closed the drawer. However, as she went up the stairs, the drawer was shown to be slightly open and inside, a bundle of bloody clothes can be seen…")_

"Mother." Kyouka coughed out with difficulty, breaking her mother's thoughts.

Yashuu broke out of her memory and stared at her coughing daughter. "Yes Kyouka?"

"Please leave me, I wish to be alone."

"But Kyouka, your illness—"

"JUST GO!"

* * *

A few days later, Kyouka was found dead in her room. Her body was found lying in front of a shattered mirror, presumably caused by the brush lying nearby. Her neck and eyes were seen to been cut by the broken glass, probably leading to her death.

Yashuu took her only daughter's death very hard, believing it to be partly her fault for causing the huge argument days before which probably led to this incident. She comforted her young granddaughter and little Shigure many times, knowing the pain of losing someone very close to but she didn't even bother telling her grandson of his mother's death. She felt as if he didn't need to know, remembering the reason why her late daughter quit her training was because of him.

Reika, on the other hand, was affected by Kyouka's death greatly, as the two shared a sister-like bond. She remembered the pain she endured after losing her parents when Kyouka was found. However, unlike last time, no one was there to comfort with the exception of Aname, who had a very close bond with Reika. She especially wanted Kaname to be there with her. She felt that Kaname should very well at least know his mother was dead but she also wanted Kaname's comfort…his gentleness…. kindness…his love…

All she wanted at least was to see him again…

Suddenly, as Reika walked towards her room, after paying respects to Kyouka's altar once again, she heard a little sob coming from Aname's room.

"B-big…brother…no….." a girl's tiny voice cried out; it was Aname's.

"Aname…?" Reika muttered as she went inside the room. There she spotted the girl crying on her bed, her head in her knees. A newspaper can be seen lying near her.

"W-why? First mother…now this…." Aname cried out more, not noticing Reika's presence. "Miss Reika…she'll…she'll…"

"I'll what?"

Aname looked up from her knees and looked at Reika with wet eyes. Sadness grew more and more and Aname started breaking down once again.

Reika's face became full of sympathy. "Oh Aname…" She gave the little girl a great hug, concerned about her sadness. "What's the matter…? Did something happen?"

Aname looked at Reika. "Big brother, he…." She sniffed.

"Yes Aname?"

"Big Brother's dead…"

* * *

_**I feel as if I gave Kyouka too much spotlight in this chapter. Oh well..**_


	10. Strangling

"_Have you heard…?" _

"_Heard what?"_

"_Another man was found in that old house up in the mountains, dead. People said he was killed by the previous owners of the house who died before because of an incident ." _

"_Incident? What happened?" _

"_A __**father **__killed a __**man**__, his own __**daughter**__ and __**four**__ of his__** brothers **__after disposing his daughter's body. He then killed __**himself**__ right in the house after doing such things. It is said that such events repeat themselves over and over even after death." _

---December 13th, 1979---

"Where is he?"

It's been weeks since Kirie heard from Huyu. She knew Huyu was making sure not to make contact with her when their father was around since he stopped leaving the house but still…

It would be nice to hear if he's still ok.

Kirie also noticed strange behaviors in her father: when he visits, he shows no emotions on his face and kept his mouth shut the whole time, making Kirie the one who starts up the conversation; whenever he was outside of her room, a laugh can be heard but it wasn't the kind of laugh you would normally expect. No, it was more of a maniacal laugh, as if he went insane. The strangest thing she saw her father ever do now is that every now and then, he would visit the old shed in the backyard with a tray of food and come back empty. It was as if he was hiding…

(_"…the evidence of his deed…")_

…something secretive. But what could it be?

Lately, she wasn't able to open her door either. It was as if….something on the other side was keeping her from going though. Kirie assumed something was wrong with the door but something inside kept telling her that her father was keeping her from coming out…

But he stopped doing that years ago…why would he do it again?

* * *

_Kirie found herself in a large area, deep beneath the ground. Strangely, a large cherry tree was found standing in the middle of the area, taking most of the space; its beautiful, pink petals can be seen falling one by one. _

"_Where am I?" Kirie muttered to herself. She looked around, glancing at the walls and the big tree. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face:_

_It was Huyu. _

"_Huyu!!" Kirie cried out, running to the wall where he was standing at the top of. Luckily, a ladder was there, intending to go up to the surface; it didn't look like it would be a good thing to be in use however._

_Kirie didn't care however. She decided to use the ladder just to get to him._

"_Huyu! Wait for me, please!" She cried out, carefully stepping on each block of wood. "Why haven't you been showing up lately? I was so worried about you lately!" _

_**Step.**_

_**Step.**_

_**Step.**_

"_Did my father do something to you?"_

_**Step. **_

_**Step.**_

_**Step.**_

"_Did he hurt—"_

_As Kirie reached closer to the top, she had a better look at her lover's face. It was horrifying._

_Huyu's face held a sad expression and on his face, _blood_ can be seen splattered across his skin, even some seen dripping down from his eyes. _

"_HUYU!!!!"_ _the woman screamed out, reaching out one of her hands as she still climbed the ladder._

Kirie,_ he mouthed as he held out his bloody hand._

_Kirie climbed faster and faster, forgetting the fact a couple of the blocks looked as if they were going to break. As she reaches the top, she grabbed a hold of her dear lover's hand when suddenly…_

_As the last pedal of the tree fell off, Huyu's hand broke off._

_The woman let out a blood-curdling scream as she slipped and fell off the ladder, her entire body heading towards the ground. As she fell, Huyu's image can be seen fading away and in place of him…_

…_was her _**father**.

* * *

"Nooo!!!!!" Kirie cried out as she awakened from her nightmare. She looked around the room and realized she fell off of her bed during slumber, probably the reason why she fell off that ladder in her dream.

However, the dream gave Kirie a horrifying idea.

"Huyu…" Tears can be seen at the corners of her black eyes. "my father…he…he…he did that to you, didn't he. Why…I didn't want you to get hurt…."

_Creak…_

The door slightly opened, as if someone opened the door so Kirie could go outside. Kirie knew not to go outside unless it was for important matters like personal hygiene but…

The shed her father was visiting lately…she had an urge to investigate the old hut…

Maybe…_**he**_ was there.

* * *

Kirie slowly walked out of her beloved home and into the large garden. She looked around the house, making sure if her father was home or not. When it looked as if he wasn't home, she decided to search the shed…but her legs were shaky and her stomach was tied in a knot. Huyu had told her that if she was feeling like this, then it means you are **nervous**. It was perfectly normal if you were doing something that was "risk-taking" but what she was doing now…judging by her father's change in personality, she could be risking her **life**.

("…_what Kirie didn't know, however, was that she was also feeling _**fear**_ as inside, she knew what her fate is coming quickly…")_

She took a few steps towards the shed, feeling a malicious presence in the air. As she proceeded further and further, the knot became tighter and tighter, making Kirie a bit nauseous. She softly touched the wooden door of the dark building and peered in, searching for anything suspicious…

Suddenly, something caught her sight and immediately, she turned away, nearly vomiting.

"**What are you doing here Kirie." **

Kirie turned her head behind her and noticed her father behind her, wearing the demonic mask; a sheath can be seen in his hand. _What is that sheath for… _Kirie thought to herself, trying not to lose herself.

"Kirie, I said: What are you doing here?!" the man exclaimed; anger can be clearly heard in his voice.

Kirie shook off the thought and looked at her father with intense fury. "Father, just who is that in there?!" She pointed at the wooden door. "I know deeds like that are highly unwelcomed in this world!"

The man walked past the girl and angrily shut the door closed. "Kirie, get back to your room if don't wish to be punished."

Kirie's face hardened. "**No**!"

("…_**fate**__ sealed…")_

Her father glared at Kirie's stern face with the demon's angry eyes. "What?"

"You heard me. I am getting tired of you locking me up from the outside world. Huyu…he taught me everything about the outside world…and its joy of living and what to live for…something you didn't teach me. I've been missing out on a lot father. Why are you keeping all of this away from me?"

"Kirie, the outside world isn't as beautiful like what you think. What…_he_ implies…that isn't reality. Everyone suffers because of the actual reality of the world so I tried saving you away from reality by keeping you away from knowing of the outside world…"

"You didn't have to hurt the poor man!! I didn't him hurt. He didn't do anything wrong to hurt me!"

Her father let out a loud uproar, hurting Kirie's ears. "You foolish girl, he did the worse sin of all!"

_("…__**he fell in love with you**__…")_

_SLAP!_

The sheath fell away from his head and landed away from the two beings. Tears were seen falling from Kirie's eyes as held her hand in her other one, hurt from slapping her father. "I loved him too…does that mean I'm a sinner too?!"

"…"

"Does it?!"

"…. Kirie, get inside or you'll be punished severely."

Kirie scoffed as she slowly shook her head. "Punished? What's a punishment far worse than taking Huyu away from this world?!"

("…_**sending you back to him**__…") _

Suddenly, the insane man charged towards his daughter and tackled her onto the door. Kirie struggled to break free but her father's strength was far too stronger than her. "Father!!" she cried out, trying to move her arms. "What are you doing!?"

(_"…your _**punishment**_…")_

As Kirie struggled to break free, her father punched her right in the abdomen, making her fall to the ground. Kirie, in pain from the attack, tried the stand back up but her father's body was on top of her, the demon's face staring straight at her.

(_"…there are many _**punishments**_ that a man could do to a defenseless woman…")_

Kirie's eyes became full of fear as she thought of some of the stuff the Huyu told her one night: men were able to do to women whenever the women showed some form of weakness. Was her father really that kind of man?

("_…be grateful your father is a _**good**_ man, Kirie…")_

…however instead, his hands grabbed Kirie's throat and pressed down on it.

_No!! _

_I can't breath!_

_Father, why? I thought you were trying to protect me! How will this protect me?! Are you that kind of man?! Did you do this to mother years ago?! Why?! PLEASE FATHER!!! Don't do this!! What will mother think if you did this?! Father…father…please do not take another life…being in love isn't a sin…what you're doing is sin…I do not want you to go to hell…_

No_._

_What I want is for you to stay here on this goddamned earth along with me and anyone else that perishes here. I shall have anyone who visits this place endure all what I suffered these ten years. I shall not have anyone leave this place alive…_

_**Not even you.**_

With that thought, Kirie took her final breath and continued staring into the dead night sky, life no longer showing in her eyes. Seeing his dear daughter's lifeless body, the man moved away from the corpse and grabbed his fallen sword. He soon unsheathed it and proceeded to do what he did to Huyu's body.

Nearby, a woman in a white dress can be seen glaring at the scene, malice in her eyes. Her black bangs covered her eyes, preventing from anyone seeing the upper half of her face. Red marks can be seen at the joints of her legs and arms; one was even shown on her neck. The air all around her was filled with malice, as the woman was full of **revenge**.

But not on her father…but on every living being on earth…

_Feel my pain……_

---End of Himuro---

* * *

_That's it for Kirie. Hope you enjoyed that tale._


	11. Massacre

_**I'm surprised y'all still read this story. It's a shame I didn't get to finish this story before I left the Fatal Frame fandom but to be honest, this was the fanstory I had most fun writing. Seeing as there's only two chapters left of this story, I might as well finish it.**_

_**I'm planning on rewriting these stories sometime after I finish it as one long-ass stories. My English seems to have gotten weaker in the past two years so my grammar may not be…perfect. I'm sorry in advance.**_

_**Now that's out of the way, let Sae's story be finished.**_

* * *

"_Hey, did you hear about __**Minakami**__ village?"_

"_No, what's up with it?"_

"_Some girl went crazy and killed a whole bunch of people during a __**festival**__! Everyone's either dead or left town!"_

"_You gotta be kidding me! Did they arrest the killer?"_

"_Nah. By the time the police arrived, she __**hung**__ herself."_

_The girl nearby, who was eavesdropping on boys' conversation, collapsed on her knees. The familiar pain of regret and remorse returned to her mind as she realized what she had done to her sister's fragile heart. _

_-December 14__th__ 1983-_

Just what was **_wrong _**with that girl?

Ryokan knew his eldest daughter took after him more than Yae did, but he never had any idea how **_off _**she was.

Although Sae started eating again and stopped injuring herself, something about her was still off. She barely talked to anyone, including her father, and she would shut herself in her room, never coming out unless she absolutely had to. At this point, everyone believed she'd snapped and was beyond any hope of professional help. They were absolutely afraid to talk to her; even her father was afraid to say a word to her.

There was one person who was willing to talk to her though. He was the only person other than Yae and Itsuki that she felt comfortable to talk with about anything.

_**Anything**_

* * *

"They all hate me, Mr. Seijiro! They all hate me, I can feel it!" Sae cried into her pillow. She felt a presence sitting by her weak leg, caressing the top of her head. It gave some comfort to her broken heart.

**Young maiden, you are merely upset. People may look at you differently than before but I can assure you, they do not hate you.**

"_**You're wrong**_." Sae sat up and leaned against the headboard. "I know you mean well but you haven't dealt with what I deal with outside of this room. I get ignored by the townspeople whenever I walk through the streets and when I'm not looking, I can feel their resentful eyes staring at me. Not even my _**loving**_ father wants to be seen by me. Even _**he**_ looks at me like I'm some kind of freak.." Sae felt her eyes watering once more as she tried to gather the strength to talk. "At school, no one even makes any try to interact with me after Itsuki's suicide because they all blame me for encouraging him to hang himself."

**Surely you are exaggerating. **

"I'm not!" Sae covered her face with her hands, not wanting to show her tears in front of the spirit. "They say after that incident at school last month, Itsuki has been acting strange around everyone. They say that _**my **_little incident brought up memories of Mutsuki's death and it drove him to suicide. What _**they**_ don't know is the truth behind Mutsuki's death._** Nobody**_ other than Itsuki and I know the real truth."

_(.. "you yourself still has yet to face the truth"..)_

Sae ripped her hands away from her face, her eyes as large as dinner plates. "…I realized something..."

**What is it, young Kurosawa?**

_(.. "EVERYONE CAN DIE" ..)_

"No one ever cared about me…" Sae muttered as she cracked a smile. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes as she stared at the spirit. "My mother abandoned Yae and I before we were even born… my father decided to abandon me in my time of need and keep the truth about Yae from me… all the villagers fear me… the only two people I could rely to always be there for me both left me all alone in this world…the only two people that I thought I could trust my entire life…" The broken girl buried her face in her knees, her voice being shaky. "I gave them all my heart and they think they can just take it and rip it to shreds…its like they didn't even care about what I have to say…"

**I understand how you are feeling.**

Sae turned to face where the spirit is sitting, her eyes filled with anger. "How _**can**_ you understand how I'm feeling? It's not like you've been through this before!"

**Yes, I have.**

"What?"

**I died here in this village many years ago when I was just an outsider. As I was staying here, the village elder's daughter decided to help me with the information I was investigating regarding the history of the town during my visit. While that was sweet of her, I assumed the village elder had suspicions of the two of us being in a relationship as we spent time together in the library.**

Sae was absorbed into the spirit's story. "You…you two weren't, were you?"

**Of course not! She was around your age at that time and I was…well, around my 40s. I had no interest of gaining a wife during that time so I had paid no attention to her advances, if she had made any. **

"Did she?"

**At first I believed she didn't…until her father and the other villagers captured me. They accused me of raping the young maiden and despite the daughter's protests, they—**

A fog built up in Sae's mind, filling her head with immense pain. "No. You don't need to continue. I think I got the idea." She rubbed her forehead as she laid back down on her bed and faced the wall. "Just stop talking. I want to get some rest."

**Young Kurosawa, I—**

_(.. "just leave, you outcast"..)_

"Just _**go.**_" Her voice was full of anger.

**As you wish…though, I have one other comment to add: We're not so different, you and I.**

_(.. "He's right, you know"..)_

Sae's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

**We're both misunderstood by this damned village. These people judge us without listening to our side of the story…the pain we have to go through because of their close-mindedness. However, ehe pain they inflicted on me is nowhere as stressing as yours. You've been through so much, poor maiden. You've lost a mother, a father's love, a best friend and most importantly…your sister.**

_(.. "DON'T LEAVE ME YAE"..)_

_(.. "Yae, please back…."..)_

_(.. "Yae, you promised.."..)_

Chills ran down her back as snippets of that night played in her mind; the night Yae and Ryozo eloped together and left her behind. That night, Sae's legs were too weak for her to run through the forest at the time as Yae and Ryozo ran ahead. Yae urged her twin to keep running despite her knees being in pain. Truth is, however, Sae didn't want to leave the village and was trying to slow down the two of them so they could stay with her. She was hoping that if they stayed behind, the three of them would get caught together. Seeing as how they didn't slow down for her, she did the only other thing she could think of…

_(.. "YAE, WAIT UP!"..)_

_(.. "Please don't leave me"…)_

_(.. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"..)_

As soon as the flashbacks cleared up, Sae found herself standing near the window in a complete trance. Outside the window, she could see few of the village men setting up for the Shadow Festival for tomorrow night. The Shadow Festival…

_(.. "The Repentance"..) _

…stirred up many_** cherished**_ memories of Yae, Itsuki and her father. Oh, how she wished she could go back to those days. Why did it all have to _**change**_? Why did her life have to change for the worse? What has she done to deserve this? She tries to be a good _daughter_, a good_ friend_ and a good _**sister**_. What else did she have to do?

_(.."they can all die"..)_

Sae fell forward as her mind blanked out for a moment. She managed to avoid falling completely fall on the ground and alerting both her father and the men outside but something was going on inside her head. She rubbed her head in frustration as she tried to get her mind back together. Just what _**was**_ going on with her? She fell to her knees as the pain in her mind distracted her from the sight of the outside world. Her eyes widen with intense fear, not sure what was going on. As the fear grew and nearly consumed her broken heart, one thought came to mind.

_**Yae.**_

"_**My dear sister….**__" _Sae muttered as she stood back up. Her eyes were filled with so much life compared to the last few months she had endured and yet, they looked soulless. She had a cracked smile across her face, hiding something sinister inside. "_**You'll come back, right? I know you will."**_

_**I know you will.**_

_(.. "I don't want to be alone.."..)_

* * *

_-December 15, 1983. __**20:23**__-_

Ryokan let out a heavy sigh as he put on his kimono, the one he wears for festivals. It would be the first year he would've gone without any member of his family. He had to spend it without his brother, his wife and now, his daughters. He knew Yae had run off far away by now, presumably starting a new life with that outsider boy. She was always the selfish one of the twins. Sae, on the other hand, was thought to be too emotionally unstable to be brought to the festival, as much as her father wanted to bring her. He knew the festival would overwhelm her emotional capacity and it might lead to something disastrous but he felt completely horrible leaving her behind. He would've stayed home with her if he wasn't the village elder. Not attending any of the village festivals would make him look terrible among his people, despite his current situation.

After he finishes putting on the robes, he looked to his side and sees a couple of photos hanging on the way: an old photo of Ryokan and brother before his untimely death; a photo of him and Chouko, who was heavily pregnant with the twins, at that year's Shadow Festival; and the twins naively grinning in the park before Sae's accident that day. Taking some time to let the bittersweet memories soak in his mind, he made a sad smile. "If only…"

Shrugging off the memories, he turned to face the door only to see…

_(.."the vengeful spirit"..)_

…his young daughter standing in the doorway. She was wearing her oversized white sweater with white knee socks. An eerie smile was on her face as she stared at him with soulless eyes. Ryokan was utterly surprised at his daughter's sudden appearance, having not seen her so often.

"Sae!" The man exclaimed, frightened by his daughter's appearance. He held his chest from the excitement his old heart wasn't used to. "You shouldn't frighten me like that. I may be your father but I have the heart of a grandfather!"

Sae made no response to the supposed joke, not amused. "_**Where are you going, father?**_"

Ryokan felt his heart jump a little, surprised by Sae's voice's change in tone. "I…I was heading to the Shadow Festival and—"

Sae's eyes grew with immense rage. "_**Were you planning to leave me behind, Father?**_" She took a few steps towards her frightened father. "_**You were, weren't you? You were going to leave me all alone to**_** die**_**.**_"

While he was indeed scared of his daughter's sudden aggression towards him, he didn't allow her words to bring him down so easily. "Sae, don't be so foolish! You know I am supposed to be there for the traditional opening of the festival! It is my responsibility to take part of this sacred ceremony and I cannot allow anything to stop me from it. As much as I want to take you with me…I do not think you're ready to face an emotionally triggering event like the Shadow Festival. Do you understand?"

_(…"lies, they were all lies"..)_

"…_**you're embarrassed to be seen around me, is that it?**_"

"What?"

"_**The past few months, you didn't want to go out in public with me…I always had to go on my own.**_" Sae muttered as he stepped towards her father. As much as Ryokan wanted to get out of there, his body was paralyzed with fear. He collapsed on his knees and he watched his daughter come towards him. "_**I am sick of being so alone all the time…I didn't need you because I had Yae and Itsuki…now that they're gone, I had to depend on you for company and you weren't even there to begin with. All that paperwork crap…you lied about that. You just don't want me and Yae around because you always blamed us for Mother's death…**_"

Ryokan looked into his daughter's eyes as she got closer and closer. All he saw was nothing but pain and anger; the same eyes as that man back then who was being punished for touching his elder sister. At that moment, he knew what had happened to his poor daughter. He knew they were beyond help now.

_(.. "kill him"..)_

Sae lightly wrapped her fingers around her father's neck as the smile on her face grew bigger and bigger. The old man did nothing to resist his fate and waited for his death. His eyes closed with defeat, knowing this is his punishment for neglecting his both his daughters and his heart during all the years he's been in this world. He did have one thing to say, however.

"Sae." His daughter loosened her grip on her father's grip a bit. "I know I am a terrible father and I am truly sorry for the neglect I've shown towards you and Yae…"

_(.."you're not a terrible father.."..)_

"…all the times I said 'I love you' were _**sincere**_. As much as seeing you two hurt me, you two were the ones that kept me from suicide. As I wait for my death, all I have to say is '_I _**love**_ you, Sae._'"

_(.. "love is the ultimate sin"..)_

_(.. "don't let it get to your head, you stupid girl"..)_

Sae felt the tears flow from her face as her grip on the old man's neck tightened tenfold. "_**..you **_**are**_** a terrible father..**_"

* * *

_-December 16, 1983. __**02:43**__-_

Sae found herself in her bedroom, completely exhausted and worn out. She had no memory of what had happened the previous day but she knew it was the opening of the Shadow Festival. As much she wanted to, she couldn't face the people staring back at her in disgust and anger. Instead, she decided to check on her father, hoping he wasn't out at the booths, getting drunk.

Before Sae left the room, she noticed how the lanterns were still lit despite being two in the morning. She shrugged and assumed the festival just went on later than it was supposed to.

As she made her way to her father's bedroom, she noticed how unusually quiet it was in the building. Usually her aunt and uncle that lived in the same household with them would come in all loud and drunk, making inappropriate noises after the festival was over. Probably still partying it up outside.

Reaching her father's bedroom, she peeked inside and noticed her father asleep in bed, still wearing his robes. Sae giggled slightly, thinking her father came home all drunk and what not. She closed the door lightly and headed to the bath room, intending on washing up; she reeked of a terrible but familiar odor. She had no idea what she had day the day before but must've been absolutely tiring for her to actually neglect to wash up after wards.

After reaching the bath room, she stood by the sink and splashed water into her face, wanting to get the icky feeling off her face. As she directed her eyes towards the drain of the sink, she noticed how red the water was turning, surprising the girl. She turned her head to face the mirror and saw what appears to be dried blood splattered on her face.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed as she backed away from the sink, leaving the water running. As she back away, she noticed her face wasn't the only one splattered in red.

"O-Oh my god…" Sae shakily whimpered as she felt the blood splatters all over her sweater. Most of it was dried out by this point. "What did I do? What happ—"

Sae held her head in pain as she fell to the floor, fear growing rapidly inside of her. It was the same pain she felt after that conversation with Seijiro. Surely he knew what had happened, did he? As soon as she knew it, pain ran through her head, making her cry out in pain. Her eyes were shut tight as tears leaked out from her eyes, mixing with the dried blood on her face. Memories of last night were coming in as small snippets as the pain continued to last.

* * *

_Sae left her father on top of the bed as soon she made sure there was no pulse left. Killing her father was the first thing on the list, she knew that. But what was the next thing to do? _

_As she stood there pondering, she heard an uproar of laughter downstairs. Bingo. _

"_Kennichi, keep it down! You're going to wake Ryokan and Sae up!"_

"_Ah who cares, Sara? Ryokan won't care and Sae's just crying about her __**selfish**__ sister! What would happen?"_

_Sae's fists tightened as the rage in her intensified. She spotted the family's treasured sword on display on top of her father's dresser. Knowing what she was going to do, she grabbed the sword's sheath and headed downstairs…_

* * *

_The screams of people filled Sae up with joy and excitement. Seeing as how as the sword broke after only a few deaths, she had to resort to using alternative weapons such as bricks and planks; Sae made no complaints, however. As long as it killed people, it made her happy._

_As she preyed upon the villagers, she was laughing the whole time. Not the kind you'd expect from a little girl playing with her favorite toys. No, this was an unhealthy laugh you'd expect from a serial killer. For every cry of pain she got from her victims, she just laughed. For every beg, she just laughed. For every insult, she just laughed. For every painful memory she received during her rampage, she just laughed. For every tear that has fallen, she just _laughed. _She laughed nonstop, filling the night skies with the shrills of her pleasure._

* * *

"**Chitose…Chitose…come out, come out wherever you are…**_" _

_Even in her deranged mind, she knew Chitose would never go to the Shadow Festival without her brothers and knew she would be at home. Even though her mind was broken, there was a part of her that wanted to see Chitose herself. After she got done with her parents, she went upstairs to find the girl… only to find her missing from her bed. She presumably heard the ruckus her parents made trying to fight off Sae and ran off to hide. Pathetic girl._

_Knowing the Tachibana family far too well, she knew the young girl's regular hiding spots would be in the closets of the household. It shouldn't be too difficult looking for the girl. As Sae explored the second floor of the household, she heard bells ringing in a closet not too far away. Sae smiled as she headed towards her prey._

"**Chitose, it's Sae. Please come out.**" _Sae calmly said to the young girl was she tried to get the door open. Strangely, it wouldn't budge. The brat must be keeping it closed from the other side. _

"_No!" The little girl cried out. "I know it's not Miss Sae! The _**real**_ Sae would never laugh like that! She would never hurt innocent people like that!" The brat must've seen everything._

"**Chitose…don't you want to see your brothers?**_**"**_

"_N-NO, YOU'RE LYING!" The little girl's sobbing can be heard from the other side. "They're both dead! Mommy and Daddy told me the truth! Why are you doing this? ….What happened to you, Miss Sae?"_

_Sae felt a tear drop after hearing those words. Her mood, however, did not change. "_**You're the only one I care about now Chitose. I want to send you off to a better place where you can see your brothers again…there's no hope for you to live in this town anymore.**_"_

"…_." Sae sees the door slightly opening a bit, revealing Chitose's tear-streaked face. Her gray eyes stared up into Sae's soulless ones, completely in fear. She was curled up in a little ball, shaking from fear, her bells jingling slightly. Seeing Chitose's frightened form softened Sae a bit, giving her a look of true remorse. _

"**Oh Chitose...you young, naïve fool…**" _Sae whispered to her as she held Chitose's pale face with her hands, startling her a bit. "_**We may never see each other again…the place you'll be going to is a safe haven for young, innocent girls as yourself. You may see your brothers there…**"

_Sae wrapped her hands around the young girl's neck. "_**…but they belong to rot in Hell like the rest of those bastards!"**

* * *

Sae sat against the wall, completely in despair. There was no reason to cry anymore. Crying won't bring anything back from the dead. Not her father. Not Itsuki. Not all those innocent people she's slaughtered. Not even poor little Chitose. She can't cry for their deaths, knowing SHE'S the one who caused their deaths.

_(.."kill yourself"..)_

Sae had never felt so alone before. Everyone in the whole town is either dead or had fled. She was the only one remaining in the whole village…a feeling that has never left ever since Yae left her.

Yae…

_(.."kill yourself"…)_

Was all of the rumors true? Did Yae _purposely_ left her in the woods that night?

_(.."kill yourself"..)_

No, Sae refused to believe that. She knows Yae would never leave her. She's going to come back some day, she knew that! Yae has never broken her promise! She promised to always be with Sae and Sae believed that. Why would Yae lie to her like that? Good sisters aren't supposed to lie to their siblings. They're supposed to be honest with each other no matter what, right? Well, Sae promises one thing to her sister.

_She'll wait for Yae in __**Hell**__._

* * *

_A young girl, who looked no older than 15, stood in front of the yellow tape that was blocking the entry into the town she used to call home. She was sobbing into her hands, feeling complete despair building up inside her. A boy dressed in shades of green stood nearby, watching as the police past the yellow tape were running around like disturbed ants. He held the weeping girl in his arms, trying to comfort the maiden. Ignoring his tries of comfort, the girl continued to weep harder and harder. Among the feelings of pain and despair in her heart, she felt complete guilt and remorse over what has happened to the village...specifically, what has happened to her family._

_"I'm sorry..." she cried out in her shaky voice. "I am so sorry..." _

_The boy escorted her out of the field of curious eyes before any trouble or drama would occur. _

_-End of Kurosawa-_

* * *

**_This is probably the longest chapter of the whole story and I regret nothing._**


End file.
